Fielding resigns from the British club and gives his allegiance to
the Indians. Most of them are preparing for the Muslim festival,
Mohurrum. There is much excitement, merry-making, and noise.
Fielding merely observes the festivities.

The men gather to talk about Aziz's lawyer, who has accepted the
case. Later in the evening, Fielding wishes to find Godbole, to ask
if he has made a moral blunder in regards to Ronny, but Godbole
has retired for the night.

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Notes

This chapter is important because it reveals Fielding's character in
a little more detail. Fielding, a man of principle, has resigned from
the British club to protest the injustice and prejudice of its member.
Although he misses the company of his countrymen, he is relieved
to be away from the pettiness that surrounds it. It is ironic that
Fielding, who has always succeeded in maintaining a neutral
position in his relationship between the Indians and the British,
now turns his back on his own to support the natives.

There is also irony in the fact that despite all of the tension that
exists in Chandrapore, the Indians stick to tradition. They merrily
prepare for a Muslim festival and are excited about the festivities.
Appropriately, Fielding, the outsider, does not participate, but only
observes. His isolation is a foreshadowing of how hard it is for an
Englishman to function in Indian society, just as it is hard for an
Indian to function in the British society. Event after event in the
novel has proven this to be true.